Forever
by White-Knight-1988
Summary: One mission, one opportunity to change everything in his life. Retired for six years, Tommy Oliver is given the chance to take back that which he should have never lost. On the wingtips of a devastating loss, he finds that good can still come from bad.


_**Summary: One mission, one opportunity to change everything in his life for the better. Retired for nearly six years, Tommy Oliver is given the chance to take back that which he should have never lost in the first place. On the wingtips of a devastating loss, Tommy finds that good can still come from a bad situation.**_

_**Timeline: Takes place right where "Forever Red" ended, while taking some canonical liberties in regards to the actual episode. You may or may not know this, but the original script for "Forever Red" was intended to be a two-parter that dealt with themes far darker than anything previously explored in the show. And while I won't go into exaggerated detail, this story will include bits and pieces from the original script. **_

_**Title: Forever**_

_**Chapter 1/1**_

_**Original Posting Date: November 8, 2008**_

_**--**_

"Are you kidding me? I was the one doing all the work while he was at the Juice Bar kissing on Kimberly."

"Well, at least his haircut's regulation, right?"

"Yeah, but my Q-Rex would eat his Dragonzord for lunch."

"Hey, wait, wait, wait; I changed history, so why does he have a fan club and I don't?"

As he walked away from seven of the nine Power Rangers he'd just saved the planet with, their jokes at the Red Zeo Ranger's expense echoed in the ears of Tommy Oliver. They'd been to hell and back together; friendships had been built that would last a lifetime but, right now all Tommy wanted was to get away from it all.

The California sunset cast an eerie glow upon his hardened face, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his brown leather jacket as he navigated the NASADA space port from where they'd left for the moon nearly a week prior. The sadness he was currently experiencing was evident in his eyes and, while the other Rangers had seemingly come to grips with their loss, Tommy had yet to do so.

Approaching the twenty-foot high, chain link fence that guarded the port, Tommy remained stoic as he stopped near the security guard's booth and waited for said guard to open the gate. Moments later he was sitting on the curb just outside the fence, arms folded across his knees, his head hanging low.

How long he remained like that he did not know. There were so many thoughts running through his mind that keeping track of the time became the last thing he cared about. It was as though his very spirit, that which had driven him to the most unreachable of heights for so many years, had been ripped away from him and shattered into millions of tiny little pieces.

For the first time since he'd become a Power Ranger, Tommy felt absolutely empty inside. The will to fight, to stand up for what was right when no one else would…in one terrible moment that driving force had fled his body without any care at all to how it affected him.

Tears stung his eyes, the aching in his heart a constant reminder of how they had completed their mission only to fail another. At the forefront of his mind, Tommy couldn't help but wonder how the other Rangers could be so content as to joke like that after what they had all just gone through together. He was so wrapped up in thought, mentally berating himself for not doing better, that he didn't hear the sounds of a car pulling up in front of him.

"Hey, you look like you could use a ride," the driver called out to Tommy.

Slowly but surely his eyes started to rise, settling on the nearby black Ford Mustang and the woman sitting behind the wheel. Forcing himself to smile, Tommy rose to his feet, wiping a few stray tears away from his face as he started towards the vehicle.

"Yeah," he said simply, nodding.

Wearing a curious expression on her face, Kimberly Hart leaned across the passenger seat to open the door for him. Tommy climbed into the car in silence, not saying a word as Kimberly started to drive off.

"How are you doing?" asked Kimberly, looking over at him.

Tommy shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "All things considered; as well as can be expected, I guess," he answered distantly, staring out the passenger side window. "How'd you know that I'd be here?"

"Jason called," Kimberly replied, Tommy giving her a single nod as his eyes remained fixated elsewhere. "How was the mission?"

"I'm alive," Tommy supplied, finally looking back at her.

Kimberly furrowed her brow. She'd known Tommy long enough to recognize when something was bothering him and judging from his current demeanor this was one of those rare occasions where his mind was clearly plagued. How far to pry without completely alienating him, though, that was the real question.

"That doesn't really answer my question, does it?" said Kimberly. Not really knowing what to say, Tommy opted to say nothing at all which earned a sigh from his female companion. "Tell me about the mission."

Looking away once more, Tommy shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it," he replied through gritted teeth.

"Tommy, it couldn't have been that bad," Kimberly offered, Tommy scoffing at that. "I mean, everyone's still alive and everything, right?"

Had his spirit not already been crushed beyond repair, it surely would have been following Kimberly's question. No sooner had it come out of her mouth than Tommy was starting to remove his seatbelt.

"Stop the car," he said demandingly.

"What?" Kimberly asked, confused.

"I said stop the car," Tommy replied, a hint of bitterness evident in his voice.

Thinking that perhaps he had something to say that required her full attention, Kimberly obliged and pulled to the side of the road. As soon as the car had come to a stop, however, Tommy pushed the door open and hastily stepped out of the vehicle. Without a word he started to walk down the fifteen-mile stretch of near deserted road that would eventually lead him back to the outskirts of Angel Grove.

Tommy could feel his blood begin to boil with each passing step. Kimberly's words constantly and hauntingly echoed in his head, her reminder of his failure doing little more than making him even angrier with himself. There was so much pent up frustration building inside him that all he could think about was hitting something, unleashing the full strength of his fists and feet in ways he had failed to do on the moon.

At the pitter-patter of Kimberly's rapidly approaching footsteps, Tommy rolled his eyes but did not waver from his journey, remaining intently focused on the road and what was sure to be a very long walk home. For the moment he didn't want to see her, didn't want to talk to her or have anything to do with her, not because of anything she had done to him but because he was too afraid to face her after everything that had happened.

"Tommy, what are you doing?" Kimberly called out, jogging to catch up with him. "Would you please stop walking away and just talk to me?"

"It's not worth it, Kim," said Tommy, shaking his head as he quickened his pace. "Just go home."

"Why don't you let me decide if it's worth it or not?" she shot back. When Tommy didn't reply, she rolled her eyes and started to run faster. "Dammit, Tommy, stop being such a stubborn asshole. We all have problems, you know!"

The last part made Tommy freeze on the spot, in turn causing Kimberly to do the same, leaving a gap of roughly twenty feet in between them. For the briefest of moments, as he slowly turned around to face her, Kimberly could have sworn that she saw his angry brown eyes flash green.

"Problems?" he spat, letting out a bitter laugh. "What do you know about problems? You got to sit here in the safety of your own home while nine other people and I put our lives on the line so you could do that! Ten went up there and nine left, Kimberly! Aurico died on the moon and it's my fault!"

Dropping to his knees on the side of the road, his face buried while he sobbed into his arms, Tommy did not see the shocked expression that Kimberly now wore as she walked towards him. All he could see was the darkness inside his soul from having failed to save his friend, the Red Alien Ranger who, along with his four teammates, had bravely defended Earth when Master Vile had turned Tommy and his Ninja Ranger teammates into young children.

"What happened?" asked Kimberly softly, slowly lowering herself until she was at eye level with Tommy.

Raising his eyes to her, Tommy fought with himself to suppress the memories, to not relive the horrifying images of looking down on Aurcio's limp, lifeless body. But the way Kimberly looked at him, the way she spoke so soothingly…more than anything he wanted to spill his soul to her.

"No one saw him die," Tommy murmured, adjusting himself into a sitting position. "Eric, the Quantum Ranger from the Time Force team found him inside General Venjix's base after Serpentera was destroyed along with most of our Zords. He'd been knocked out of Morph, his whole body was covered in dried blood and scorch marks," he continued, sobbing even harder as Kimberly reached out and took him in her arms, holding him tightly. "I-I h-had to t-tell his wife, D-Delphine; oh God, Kim, the look on her face. It was awful."

"I'm so sorry, Tommy. I can't even begin to imagine," Kimberly whispered, rubbing his back gently. "Unfortunately, though, we all understood that dying was a risk when we chose to be Rangers. Aurico died with honor, Tommy, and that's something that a lot of people can't say."

Tommy's body trembled as he freed himself from Kimberly's embrace. "He was a good Ranger, Kim, one of the best I've ever served with," he replied, wiping the tears from his eyes. "He did so much for this planet even though it wasn't his home world. Earth owes a debt of gratitude to Aurico that can never, ever be repaid."

"We don't fight to be repaid, Tommy," said Kimberly, rubbing the back of her hand along the side of his face. "We fight because innocent people need us, because out of the billions of people on this planet less than a hundred have the power to defend it. I know you don't do it for the glory, and I'm sure Aurico didn't either."

Her words carried a certain truth to them, a truth that made Tommy think long and hard about the way the last week or so had transpired. Letting out a deep elongated sigh, he looked at Kimberly and nodded his head. Silently, he rose to his feet and offered her a helping hand which she took with a gracious smile; only once she was standing Tommy did not relinquish his hold on her. Instead, he held her hands loosely as he gazed into her eyes.

"Aurico dying made me realize how short life can be," Tommy murmured with a hint of sadness. "One minute you think you have it all and then the next you have nothing."

"Life's not always fair," said Kimberly quietly.

Tommy shook his head. "No, it's not," he replied, squeezing her hand a little tighter. "But Aurico dying also made me realize that I can't keep putting off everything like I've been doing, especially where you're concerned. When you moved back and we started dating again last year, I knew we weren't trying to capture old love, but at the same time I was afraid that old trends would repeat themselves. I just want you to know that I'm not afraid anymore."

"W-what are you saying?" asked Kimberly, swallowing hard.

Relinquishing his hold on one of her hands, Tommy smiled at her as he reached into one of his jacket pockets. "What I'm saying is that I'm done running away," he started, slowly lowering himself down to one knee. Removing his hand from his jacket, he held a small black box for her to see as he looked up at her; popping it open, he revealed a diamond ring that immediately caused Kimberly's hand to go to her mouth, her eyes growing wide in shock. "Tell me, Kimberly Hart, will you marry me?"

Now Kimberly was the one with tears in her eyes. The answer, however, was not one she had to think long about. "Yes," she told him with a bright smile, nodding fiercely. "Yes, Tommy, I'll marry you."

"You're serious?" asked Tommy, unable to contain his Cheshire grin as Kimberly nodded once more. Rising to his feet, he removed the ring from the box and took her hand. Slipping it onto her finger, he kissed her passionately. "I love you, Beautiful," he whispered, pressing his forehead against hers.

Kimberly sighed as she found herself wrapped in his arms. "I love you too, Tommy," she replied, holding him tightly. "I love you, too."


End file.
